River Rambler
Senior Member
I use a stainless cable system between two trees. One cable is fixed to the bucket feeder and an eye bolt on one tree. This cable is just a little longer than half as long as the distance between the two trees.
The second cable is attached to feeder and runs to a pulley on the other tree, then comes down the tree and clips to a stationary eye bolt. You can also angle this down to the base of another tree at a higher elevation to minimize the angle and take the cable away from the feeder.
I use a pole with a hook on both ends to raise and lower the feeder to refill it. I mount a eyebolt just above head heighth for the bottom hook on the pole to hold it in position when lowering the bucket for refilling. You'll have to do some tweaking with cable lengths to get this right so it's high enough when raised and low enough when lowered so refilling is easy.
When raised and in place, it is suspended between the two trees away from any branches and if you have a saddle or slopes to work with, you can really get the bucket high. If you use a solar recharger, this also helps get it up out of the shadows in a heavy canopy.
I have bears all around me and have never had a problem with them using this system.
The second cable is attached to feeder and runs to a pulley on the other tree, then comes down the tree and clips to a stationary eye bolt. You can also angle this down to the base of another tree at a higher elevation to minimize the angle and take the cable away from the feeder.
I use a pole with a hook on both ends to raise and lower the feeder to refill it. I mount a eyebolt just above head heighth for the bottom hook on the pole to hold it in position when lowering the bucket for refilling. You'll have to do some tweaking with cable lengths to get this right so it's high enough when raised and low enough when lowered so refilling is easy.
When raised and in place, it is suspended between the two trees away from any branches and if you have a saddle or slopes to work with, you can really get the bucket high. If you use a solar recharger, this also helps get it up out of the shadows in a heavy canopy.
I have bears all around me and have never had a problem with them using this system.
